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Background
Curly girls know how it is. All of a sudden your hair could just decide to do its own thing and not be a friend. As a curly girl myself who’s spent my entire childhood back and forth between two countries, I can safely say that my hair behaves differently depending on where I am. Here’s some advice to tame your beautiful mane when traveling abroad. Because you don’t want to ruin your pictures for the ‘gram.
Tip #1: Research Your Climate
It’s really no surprise at all that hair responds to the climate you’re in. Don’t you remember what happened to Monica from Friends in the One In Barbados?
Make sure to check the average temperature, humidity, and UV index of the destination you’re headed to as these are all factors that can affect your hair.
Sunny and Hot
If you’re planning to be out in the harsh sun a lot, you need to protect your hair. Has your hair ever gotten lighter after a day at the beach? Maybe you’ve used Sun-In before to go blonde. Well folks, that’s sun damage! One of the building blocks of our hair are proteins (such as keratin), and multiple studies have shown that exposure to the sun’s harsh UVA and UVB rays increase protein loss in our hair (1, 2). This could make you hair brittle, dry, and dull, which is not what we want.
Well, what can you do to prevent damage to your beautiful locks? One option is to cover up by wearing a protective hat or scarf. There are some really beautiful ones that you can choose that can totally upgrade your vacation wardrobe. But if that isn’t your style, believe it or not, there is sunscreen for your hair out there, and it really helps prevent sun damage (unless that’s what you’re going for of course). If your hair already has sun damage, don’t fret. You can always go in for a trim to remove your damaged hair, or use an intensive hair mask to restore moisture. Just know that the only product that will literally rebuild and repair your damaged hair is Olaplex (more about this below).
Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Scalp and Hair Mist, $15
I personally really like Sun Bum’s hair products to protect my hair in the summer since they have a very nice banana scent to them as opposed to smelling like sunscreen. Sun Bum’s products are also vegan and reef safe, so you don’t have to worry about harming the environment.
Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Primer, $27
Not only is this product expert stylist recommended, it’s a primer, which means you can use it as a base and pair it with whatever products work for you.
Hot and Humid
Everyone with curly hair knows what happens when it’s hot and humid out. It’s an absolute nightmare! There are actually two factors that come to play here: humidity and dew point. The dew point is the temperature at which the water in the air starts to condense. If the dew point is 40°F (4.5°C) and the temperature is 50°F (10°C), the humidity will be high, however it won’t feel as humid as if the dew point was 70°F (21°C) and the temperature was 80°F (27°C). The reason being because when the dew point is 40°F, the air can hold less water molecules than when the dew point is 70°F. You can read more about this here.
TLDR: When there is a higher dew point (meaning that it’s hot and humid), the air can hold more water molecules so it will feel more wet (or sticky and gross).
So, what you want to do when your curls will be exposed to hot and humid weather is to use a product to seal your strands and protect the water from your hair from leaving. You can use a mousse, gel, or glaze to do this. I really like this one that has moroccan argan oil in it since it doesn’t make my hair crunchy.
Dry
If you’re planning on traveling to a desert climate or a destination with cold weather which can also dry our hair, you need to make sure to give your locks some love in the form of hydration. In addition to using a product like the one below, make sure you drink a lot of water to stay hydrated!
Camille Rose Honey-Hydrate Leave-In Conditioner, $14
I love using this leave-in conditioner when my hair is lacking moisture because it really packs a punch. A little really goes a long way with this product as it is extremely moisturizing. Just make sure that you don’t over-hydrate your hair (meaning, your hair has too much water and not enough protein), so I actually use this when I skip my normal conditioner, or after a protein mask.
For more information about climate and curls check out this article from Naturally Curly.
Tip #2: Figure Out the Type of Water
Yes, as crazy as it may sound, there are different types of water. I found this out when I moved from a place with heavenly soft water to terrible hard water. All of a sudden, my hair became dry and unmanageable so I rummaged through countless articles to figure out why this might be. I was as shocked as you are right now when I found out there’s a difference, but let me tell you, hard water really takes a toll on your hair.
Soft Water
My New York gals! We have taken the miraculous soft waters of New York for granted 😭
If you’re going to an area with soft water, you don’t have to worry about this. And if you’re coming from an area with hard water, you may actually find that your hair looks better and is more manageable. My aunt has curly hair similar to mine, and when she travels to New York she always says that her hair looks and feels better than it does at home.
Hard Water
Hard water may as well be called a curly girl’s enemy. Water is hard when there are excess minerals such as calcium and magnesium present in the water. While this may be great for consumption, hard water takes a toll on your skin and hair. To figure out the hardness of the water where you’re traveling, you can conduct a quick google search.
Now, you can’t bring a whole shower filter or shower head with you when you travel– They’re big and bulky and very not portable. Instead, here’s a product that you can use to ease the effects of hard water on your hair.
Olaplex No. 3
Ever since I moved to the Middle East, I’ve been plagued living with hard water that contains tons of calcium. It makes my hair dry, lackluster, and affects my curl pattern. Olaplex is a godsend. I’ve mentioned it earlier briefly, but basically what it does is it rebuilds the protein bonds in your hair and literally repairs it. Their patented technology gives it an edge over other products that aim to ease the affects of hair damage, but not tackling the problem at its source. Olaplex No. 3 is what I currently use (once a week or every two weeks) to combat my terrible hard water problem while I don’t have a water filter.
Tip #3: Protective Styles
Often times when traveling, we can be really busy, packing our days full of new and exciting things to do and explore. It’s time consuming to take care of curls. Putting them in protective styles not only protects your hair (duh), but will also save you from fighting with your curls and give them some rest.
Protective styles include different types of braids, twists, knots, or head-coverings. You can wear these to sleep or during the day. I like to put my hair into one or two braids before going to sleep. When I wake up I break them apart and my natural texture is preserved with barely any frizz! You can see more ideas for protective styles here.
I occasionally also sleep with a silk or satin bonnet if I’m not sleeping in braids since silk protects your hair from getting frizzy overnight. You can also cover your hair during the day with a scarf or hat to protect it from the sun or free radicals.
Conclusion
So that’s it my curly-haired beauties. Whether your hair texture is super coily or lightly wavy, all of our hair is affected by our shifting surroundings. So if you’re pushing your boundaries and traveling somewhere unfamiliar, make sure to take care of your gorgeous natural hair. And do some reading before you go to prepare for the challenges your locks may have to face in the new destination.
And until next time,
Take a shans
